Sprangalang biography of donald

Dennis "Sprangalang" Hall (30 September 1949 – 2 October 2020) was a Trinidadian comedian, historian, actor, producer and singer/composer.[1] His work has a mostly Trinidadian character and lies in its extremely local nature.

Known For

We join the Art, the Music, the Family and all other communities of our country and the world in mourning the loss of Dennis Hall, aka Sprangalang.

His living was his life for us,” she said.

Dennis ‘Sprangalang’ Hall leaves to mourn his wife Natasha ‘Sexy Suzie’ Nurse and one daughter. He was 71 years old.

His death was marked by a sense of national mourning, with tributes pouring in immediately on the announcement of his passing. We run out of information. The man gave his entire life for this country, there is nothing again you can say about him.

This was in stark contrast to the passing of Trinidad and Tobago’s comedian, singer, actor, talk show host, cultural archivist Dennis "Sprangalang” Hall, also known as ‘Sprang’, who died on the evening of October 2, 2020, at the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex, Mount Hope, from complications caused by a stroke. Rest in Comedy.

The passing of our own regionally and internationally acclaimed comedian ­Lucien "Saluche” Small unfortunately, became embroiled in a political squabble as much of his own making, as of those of the two major political parties here.

The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), of which he was a lifetime member,sent out condolences to Hall’s family in a Facebook post.

 ‘Sprangalang’, who celebrated his birthday on September 30, is perhaps best known throughout the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe, moreso for his stand-up comedy, his observational comedy, a trait that earned him spots in local film productions and commercials, as well as runs in top calypso tents, including the Calypso Revue.

His solo comedic arts apart, ‘Sprangaalang’ starred in the 2003 situation comedy ‘Lord Have Mercy!’ which was produced in Canada for Vision TV, but has also aired on Caribbean International Network and other television stations in the Caribbean in the years since it was produced.

Most of the calypsoes Roaring Lion sang are melodies of Martniquan folk songs, and when you listen to Edmundo Ros slow songs, you hear Kitchener’s music.

Sprangalang had originally wanted to be a school teacher due to his concerns over what children were being taught in schools in Trinidad and Tobago. He was a lifetime member of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation (TUCO

Born:

In Trinidad - West Indies

Movie/TV Credits:

1

First Appeared:

Series Lord Have Mercy!

He did this with the use of satiric humour and developed an intellectual picong. Sprang’s objective critique reached the “belly” of our identity and helped us to connect sometimes with history and/or ourselves. Sometimes called, Sprang or Draxi, the hallmark of his style contributed to Trinidad and Tobago music immensely, in several components—singing, acting, performing, directing, follkloring.

The historian in him may have caused his airing this concern, only a year ago:

“You can’t paint the real picture of calypso or Carnival because there is no proper documentation of the early days of the culture and the art form.

It would seem, from how his life unfolded, that he decided he could raise the same concerns through the performing arts, and he used satire and innuendo in much of what he did on stage, to address those concerns that drove him to wanting to be a teacher, just for that fleeting period in his life.

But perhaps the most telling tribute paid to this Trinidadian cultural icon was paid by his former co-worker at the Talk City radio station, Gerelle Forbes.

" ‘Sprang’s’ life is everything that can be said.

Radio stations were bombarded with sentiments from persons from all walks of life, including members from the two major political parties.

Several members of the cultural fraternity took to social media to pay tribute to the cultural icon after learning of his passing. If spirts still linger we have Sprangalang’s blessings on this one.

We owe it to Sprang!

In Mas Camp we use to meet people talking those things!” Sprangalang, September, 2019 (Newsday tt)

Sprang was passionately calling out for us to take serious responsibility for the preservation of our musical cultural heritage and the institutionalisation of it in a way that all parts of his contribution and more could be accounted for with principled connectivity.

We urgently need to hasten plans for collaboration in twenty-first century museumising, which are grassroots initiated, open and participatory, because we are losing connectivity of genesis, currency and future of our heritage.

He was also featured in the 2007 Canadian feature film ‘A Winter Tale’, written, directed and produced by Frances-Anne Solomon, as well as the stage play ‘A Man in the Bedroom’, alongside fellow Trinidadian comedian Errol Fabien in 2010.

But the Trinidad media speaks to ‘Sparngalang’ making his first public appearance on Trinidad and Tobago National Television Show Gayelle, as the character ‘Draxi’ on a segment called ‘Cultural Sprangalang’.

He also dabbled in Soca Parang and had several big hits, including ‘Bring Drinks’, ‘Grrrttt’ and ‘Poppits’, and in calypso/soca with his memorable  ‘Two Chords’.

His family recalled that ‘Sprangalang’ originally wanted to be a school teacher, due to his concerns over what children were being taught in schools in Trinidad and Tobago.